In FIG. 1, a conventional microelectronic package 100 is shown including a package 101 comprising a land grid array (LGA) package substrate 102 supporting a die 104 thereon. The die 104 is shown as having been electrically and mechanically joined/bonded to the package substrate 102 by way of an array 106 of solder joints, and further by way of cured underfill material 110 as shown. An integrated heat spreader (IHS) lid 112 is further mounted onto package substrate 102 and thermally coupled to the die 104 by way of a thermal interface material (TIM) 114. Lid 112 is supported on the package substrate 102 by way of sealant 116. The package 101 is in turn supported on and electrically and mechanically bonded to a carrier 118, such as the substrate of a printed circuit board. Carrier 118 includes carrier lands 120 thereon adapted to allow an electrical connection of the carrier 118 to additional circuitry. In turn, package substrate 102 includes substrate lands 122 on a carrier side thereof adapted to allow an electrical connection of the package 101 to external circuitry. The lands 120 and/or 122 may include ENIG pads, for example. Surface mount components (hereinafter SMT) 130, such as capacitors, resistors, inductors, and the like, are shown as having been mounted on the landside of the package using for example solder 105. Such SMT's, when they include capacitors, are sometimes referred to as LSC's or land side capacitors. Additional SMT's may be provided on the package substrate 102, such as SMT 132 mounted on a die side of the package substrate. Such SMT's, when they include capacitors, are sometimes referred to as DSC's or die side capacitors. Even more SMT's may be provided on the carrier 118 itself, such as SMT's 134 as shown. SMT's are typically provided for full performance power delivery. Sockets 152 are placed between the package substrate 102 and carrier 118 in order to provide a standoff between the same to accommodate the SMT's, and in order to house second level interconnects between the substrate and carrier in a well known manner. Sockets 152 include through-contacts 154 extending therethrough, and establishing electrical contact with substrate lands 122 by way of flexible contact portions 156, and establishing electrical contact with carrier lands 120 by way of contact portions 158. Contact portions 158 of through-contacts 154 are bonded to the carrier lands 120 by way of an array of solder joints 160 as shown.
Disadvantageously, SMT's may occupy real estate on the package substrate, and in this way may create their own keep out zones, resulting in larger package substrates than would have been possible if the SMT's were not placed on the package substrate. The prior art attempts to solve the problem above by reducing the size and/or the number of SMT's required on a package substrate. However, the above measure still does not address the fact that, whether small in size or few in number SMT's of the prior art disadvantageously occupy real estate on a substrate.
The prior art fails to provide a microelectronic package where the problems associated with the provision of SMT's on the package substrate are avoided.
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements in the drawings have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Where considered appropriate reference numerals have been repeated among the drawings to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.